Word of the Week – edit vs. editorialize
Every writer needs an editor or at least a proofreader. Even experienced writers benefit from another pair of eyes reviewing what they have written before it goes to press.
To Apostrophe or Not – 3 Simple Rules
According to the Chicago of Manual of Style, the apostrophe has three primary uses: to show possession, to indicate missing letters (i.e. in contractions), and, “…rarely, to form the plural of certain expressions.” Perhaps the most egregious apostrophe error is its overuse.
Word of the Week – Lickspittle
In all the ink spilled this week over Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the Washington Post, my favorite line comes from Gene Weingarten in an open letter to his new boss.
No Illusions: The Skinny on Allude and Elude
Today let’s tackle another pair of easily confused words: allude and elude. And for good measure, let’s throw in delude.
Word of the Week – bedlam
Many now common English words evolve from proper nouns. Gerrymandering—the practice of creating electoral districts that favor a particular political party takes its name from the Massachusetts governor, Elbridge Gerry, who approved such a move in 1812. Californication found its way into the lexicon in the 1970s. It refers to the unchecked, haphazard development that was occurring in southern California at the time, but now can describe any sprawling, unplanned metropolis. Technology contributes its share of neologisms: googling, meme, and photoshop, to name a few. And from the sports world—Tebowing—referring to quarterback Tim Tebow’s prayer stance following a touchdown.
Repeat After Me…
Repetition is a great learning device and a useful literary tool, when used judiciously. Redundancy, on the other hand, is essential in situations where a backup system prevents complete failure, but it should be avoided in your writing.
Parallel Structure: Not Just for Railroad Tracks
Parallel structure is as essential for good writing as it is for railroad tracks. Just as railroad tracks must be level and equally spaced to insure a safe ride, elements within a sentence that are alike in function should also be alike in construction. Failure to do so results in faulty parallelism.
Bringing My Faux Pas to Light
I don’t remember the erroneous sentence, but I well remember my embarrassment when it was pointed out to me that I had written illicit when I should have used elicit. To spare you a similar embarrassment, allow me to explain the difference between the two.
Accepting the Exceptional
“My son,” wrote the proud mother, “was excepted…” Her Facebook post went on to share her joy that her child was chosen to participate in an event for children like her son who have lost a limb. No doubt, her son is exceptional. But the correct term to describe her son’s selection, is accepted. Accept is always a verb meaning “to receive” (as a gift or promotion), agree to or believe (accept the decision of the judge), or to take responsibility (accept the duties of office).
Word of the Week – ruth
With no apologies to Stephen Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine, I offer this week’s Word of the Week --- a post that was written weeks before this strip appeared: